Question About Virginia Tobacco

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evo03

Starting to Get Obsessed
Nov 20, 2013
181
1,509
Personally, the flavor of Virginia tobacco improves greatly when at the right moisture level. For me, it should be fairly dry but not crispy. Most flakes out of the tin are too wet for my taste or smoking abilities.

 

donatello

Lurker
Oct 28, 2013
49
0
missouri
I appreciate all the posts, I think I will dry it out pretty good and give it a try again, my main problem I think is getting the flake to light without getting it to hot in the process, if I can't figure it out soon I think I am going to go back to latakia

 

Perique

Lifer
Sep 20, 2011
4,098
3,884
www.tobaccoreviews.com
I agree with a previous member that you should "smoke what you like", and maybe Virginias just aren't for you.
That said, one way to get the subtly of Virginia tobaccos is to sneak up on them: Try smoking a more overtly fruity flake with some Perique, like Marlin Flake or even Orlik Golden Sliced. Another option is a mildly top-noted VA such as Dunhill's Royal Yacht. Get to know the flavor profiles and then come back to your straight VAs at some later date. Most Virginias improve dramatically with age and many are not that great fresh. Others are simply too damp to enjoy young, such as (IMHO) Full Virginia Flake.
Edit:
"I appreciate all the posts, I think I will dry it out pretty good and give it a try again, my main problem I think is getting the flake to light without getting it to hot in the process, if I can't figure it out soon I think I am going to go back to latakia"
Having read that, I definitely think your problems are tobacco selection and drying time. The FVF will simply never be dry enough. Ever. Again, just my opinion. It's obviously very popular. But it's a complete pain in the ass to smoke. Other less finicky flakes, such as Dunhill Flake, may simply require a bit more drying time. That said, I stand by my advice above. Good luck! :)

 

troutface

Lifer
Oct 26, 2012
2,328
11,362
Colorado
Don't be afraid to get the tobacco a bit hot to get it going. It will settle down in a minute or two. I used to light my pipes very tentatively and never really got them going, which caused all sorts of problems. I dry my flakes short of crispy. Too dry and they seem to lose flavor and start tasting like cigs.

 

sfsteves

Lifer
Aug 3, 2013
1,279
0
SF Bay Area
Well ... on one hand, I am inclined to spring to the defense of Virginia tobaccos, which I greatly appreciate ... but, on the other hand, I'm inclined to not do so ... as Mark Twain once said “Each man must for himself alone decide what is right and what is wrong."
Individual taste is, after all, just that ... individual. My preferences are right for me, and if you don't agree, that doesn't necessarily mean that you are doing something wrong nor does it make you wrong ... only YOUR preferences are right for you.
I learned long ago that I don't much care for Latakia or for any blend that contains it ... and I'm not wrong as far as MY taste is concerned ... that said, I daresay that a majority of those in this forum disagree with that and that there are a great many blends in which Lat is a featured ingredient which they find absolutely wonderful. They are not wrong either, insofar as THEIR taste is concerned ...
My take is that you should explore the wide, wonderful world of various pipe tobaccos and choose what YOU find best and to not worry whether you are wrong in so doing ...
de gustibus non est disputandum (In matters of taste, there can be no disputes)

 

sallow

Lifer
Jun 30, 2013
1,531
3,771
Once you've got the pipe going just hold it in your mouth, breathe through your nose, and that will be enough to allow the pipe to breathe along with you. You will get the sidestream of smoke from the bowl to your nose and taste it through your nose and sinus. Let any excess smoke escape through the corner of your mouth. Every once in a while take the pipe out of your mouth and take a deep breath through your nose.
You have now reached Virginia enlightenment. I recommend a cooperative Virginia, like the softer flakes made by Fribourg and Treyer, or PS Luxury Navy.

 

mattia76

Starting to Get Obsessed
Dec 24, 2010
255
81
Hey Donatello,

You are not alone. It took me a year of trying to "get" Virginia tobacco. And the slow sip, rubbing it out, and drying it out were all techniques that I had to get down before I could really enjoy Virginias. May I also suggest trying some Anniversary Kake? It's a nice intro Virginia/Perique that bridged the gap from aro's to Virginias for me.

 

mikenac

Lurker
Jan 19, 2014
18
0
I could not agree more with comicfolklore. I have not smoked too many virginias, but Anniversary Kake and Escudo do it for me. One thing I noticed was that not all of my pipes seemed to be good for smoking virginias. I have a straight billiard that is the bees knees when loaded with Escudo, but my Dublin makes we want to dump out the bowl. I'm also the kind of philistine that rubs out the coins instead of folding. I have also recently enjoyed mixing some Kake or Escudo with a little balkan like Abingdon.
The key is slooow. I have found that Escudo tastes nice in my Meer, and this pipe helps with slow smoking discipline, since if you don't it will cause second degree burns on your fingers ;)

 

donatello

Lurker
Oct 28, 2013
49
0
missouri
I am excited to try sallows method of getting it going and just holding it in your mouth breathing through your nose, I would love to figure that out I bet it would greatly improve the taste of any tobacco

 
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